Tuesday, April 15, 2014

SAFE Act Deadline Looming

Come Tuesday, owners of assault weapons in New York will be faced with a choice: Register those firearms with the state or potentially face a felony charge. With the registration deadline set for Tuesday, they'll soon have their chance. "We are not asking our members what they are going to do, nor are we advising them what to do," said Tom King, president of the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association. "When someone asks me, I say it's a personal choice and I don't want to know." The consequences of ignoring the deadline are severe.
If a gun owner is found to have knowingly violated the registration requirement, they could face either a misdemeanor for failing to register or a felony for illegal possession of an assault weapon.

"It's not known how many assault weapons there are in New York, and the state has refused to say how many people have registered.State police, which is tasked with maintaining a private database of all assault weapon owners, cites a provision of the law requiring the agency to keep information in the database confidential."

I think its pretty cool that they're using part of the law that restricts the public release of the personal data of people who register firearms to keep from having to say the total number of firearms registered. The only real question is whether its about like Connecticut, or much worse. Here is an estimate I found regarding compliance, though it isn't exactly a neutral source. But then, the other side isn't talkin.

"A gun-rights group estimated today that they expect compliance with the SAFE Act to be less than 10 percent."

"Opponents of the law have vowed to not comply, and the NY2A Grassroots Coalition put out a statement today saying they expect almost all won't."

"The group said it came up with the figures based on information it's received from various sources, including industry estimates on number of owned weapons. State Police have refused to release any gun data since the law took effect."http://www.lohud.com/story/news/politics/politics-on-hudson/2014/04/14/gun-group-safe-act-compliance-less-10/7714441/

Why? You don't think people who break the law should be punished? If you don't like the law change it within the system we have, to change laws. Don't promote anarchy, or you are just another criminal.

Never said that Anon, Everyone who makes the decision to not register their firearm is well aware of the potential risks. Perhaps the laws ill be changed, especially after the upcoming midterm elections. Most are likely fairly confident that there is little real chance of being arrested since even Mike has admitted that the criminal use of such firearms is rare. So absent the decision to ignore the 4th Amendment, there is little chance of the weapons being found. And we can also throw in what appears to be a fair percentage of the law enforcement community opposed to the law. In fact, elections have been won based on the candidate's opposition to the law,

"Erie County Sheriff Timothy B. Howard was elected to a third term last week because, well, in large part, he vowed not to enforce the New York SAFE Act, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s draconian gun control legislation passed in the wake of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut."http://www.guns.com/2013/11/13/opposition-safe-act-carries-ny-sheriff-victory-video/

I saw similar estimates elsewhere from similar sources. I wouldn't be surprised if they were true because of people feeling emboldened by what they saw happen in CT, but I also wouldn't be surprised if compliance is higher due to differences in state culture, law enforcement attitudes, etc.

Will be interesting to see if I start meeting New Yorker's moving to Tennessee. I've already met some folks from Connecticut for whom the gun law was one of several reasons they moved down. We also are getting quite a few folks from Jersey.

But you don't accept the courts' decisions when they find a law unjust/unconstitutional. You whine that they are bought by the gun lobby and they should be replaced with gun-hating judges and the decision overturned.

Thank God we don't have to live by Greg's laws, nor the way he simply dictates them without any voice from the people who have to be controlled by his dictates.Don't be so childish GC, they were not good laws, but anarchy would be worse and our system did make it right. Your continuing stance that the law can be ignored, or broken at YOUR whim, is just criminal thinking.

In other words, Anonymous, your counsel to civil rights protestors in the 60s would have been to be patient and wait for justice? Your view is that a right delayed or abused is a right we have to await meekly?

MLK had the conviction of civil disobedience and knew what he did was against the law and he would go to jail. He used his jail sentence as a call to all Americans to help him right the wrong. He counted on the fact that when his case got to court it would be overturned and so would other racist laws. He went to jail in order to make change and he fought from his jail cell. Unlike your hero Snowden who went running to a dictator for cover from a fight he should have stayed and fought even if his fight was from a jail call. Not only do you lie about my position, but you defend cowardice as most criminals do.

You have gun rights, they did not have simple human rights. if you cannot see the difference, I cannot help you.Please link me to some of the pro gun people sitting in jail for civil disobedience, I would like to read their stories.